Forget one-trick recipes! Versatility rules the kitchen with the easiest shredded chicken recipe you’ll ever find.
There’s nothing like coming home after a long day and putting together easy chicken burrito bowls or chicken carnitas, but sometimes you just want to throw some shredded chicken onto a salad or toss it with pasta and call it a day. That’s why you need to know how to make tender shredded chicken in the slow cooker.
Shredded Chicken Made Easy
Shredded chicken is one of the ingredients that makes busy weeknight meals so much easier. It’s essential for healthy eating and time-crunched families. The only thing better than having chicken ready to eat is making it with minimal effort. Cue this slow cooker shredded chicken.
It takes five minutes to prepare and you can make a variety of meals simply by adding a few more ingredients. Plus, making it in the slow cooker (we love this slow cooker and not only because it’s programmable!) leaves the chicken moist, flavorful and ready to take on any flavors you want to put on it.
Just dissolve chicken bouillon in some water and add salt and pepper. Don’t have bouillon? You can also use chicken broth and season to taste. Feel free to also add additional seasonings! Maybe you want to add garlic powder or taco seasoning, depending on how you’ll be using the cooked chicken.
Then, put your chicken breasts and thighs in the slow cooker and pour over the liquid. Let it cook for 4 – 6 hours and it’s ready to shred and enjoy. It’s as easy as that!
Video: How To Shred Chicken
Using Shredded Chicken
There are two ways to enjoy the ease of slow cooker shredded chicken. You can either throw it in the slow cooker in the morning to enjoy for dinner or make it during the weekend so weekly meal prep is easier. I’m a huge fan of having ready-to-go chicken for different meals during the week.
Use it to top salads, throw it in a wrap or toss in a bowl with some grains and veggies. Mix the shredded chicken with BBQ sauce for sandwiches, use it in easy chicken tacos, or add to a quick soup.
There’s no way to get bored with slow cooker shredded chicken when it’s so versatile. Once the chicken is done, put it in a container with a half cup of the liquid and let it cool before putting it in the fridge. Just like that, you’ve got chicken ready to go!
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Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
If you use thighs as the chicken, it will be juicier meat. Using breasts is leaner though. Half and half gets you the best of both worlds.
Feel free to add additional seasonings.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-5 hours
- Total Time: 4-5 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 and 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs or a mixture
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a simmer. Dissolve chicken bouillon in the water. Add the salt and pepper.
- In a slow cooker, place chicken breasts and pour in the chicken bouillon mixture. Cover and set on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker once done and shred with two forks.
- Pour liquid out of slow cooker. Put ½ cup of it back in. Reserve the rest.
- Place the shredded chicken back into the liquid in the slow cooker and stir.
- Serve immediately or, if saving for later use, drizzle with a few tablespoons of the reserved liquid to keep it moist in the fridge. Refrigerate the rest of the liquid separately. Drizzle chicken with more liquid if necessary for moistness when reheating.
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This post originally appeared in October 2017 and was revised and republished in August 2022.